Dr. Konstantinos A. Starantzis is the head of the Spine Department and he undertakes all spinal conditions, from the neck to the coccyx.
An important reinforcement is the addition of Dr. Vassilios Vougioukas, Director of the Department of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Brain and Spine at Athens Medical Center and head of the Neurosurgery Department of Osteon. This collaboration is a conscious decision aiming to achieve the best possible clinical outcome for the patients.
Although lately such collaborations abroad are taken for granted, this synergy is considered an innovative effort in Greece. Through our co-location in Athens Medical Group we have access to all the necessary technical equipment (intraoperative O-Arm CT scan, neuronavigation, electrophysiological examination) needed so as to provide the best possible medical services. Our common belief is that the combination of specialties, in this case orthopedics and neurosurgery, by two excellent-trained surgeons with many years of experience in the field, is a key condition for achieving the best possible result in complex spine problems.
Spinal conditions are complex pathologies where the clinical picture is often complicated. The main pillars for surgical treatment are the understanding of the biomechanical properties of the spine, as well as the respect for the nerve structures involved in the problem. The goal is to solve the problem with the smallest muscle/tissue injury, without making compromises on functionality and physiology of the spine. The lack of guidelines, especially regarding degenerative diseases, the uncontrolled, mainly through the internet, bombardment of information on unscientific techniques as well as the lack of control over medical education in our country, are the main reasons for the unnecessary and often dangerous suffering to which the patient with spine problems is subjected.
Diseases
It is a medical procedure performed in non-hospitalized patients which is basically an injection of a mixture of drugs (steroids and anesthetics) into the spine.
The drug can reduce the swelling and relieve the inflammation of the irritated spinal nerves. This procedure is performed to relieve low back pain but mainly the pain that goes down to the leg from the lower back (sciatica).
Osteoporosis is one of the most common bone diseases. One in three postmenopausal women and one in five men over the age of 50 suffer from osteoporosis.
Bones have the ability to adapt their shape and size, responding to the size and type of mechanical loads they receive.
The neck is the connecting link between the torso and the head. The cervical spine consists of 7 vertebrae. The ligaments and muscles are attached to the vertebrae, forming such a strong structure that it can meet the complex demands of human life.
When we talk about cervical syndrome we do not refer to a specific disease but to various symptoms that are concentrated in the neck area, such as stiffness, neuralgia, dizziness, headache, etc.
Intervertebral disc herniation or disc herniation is the most common cause of pain in both the upper and lower limbs.
In recent years, its occurrence is more often, as a consequence of modern lifestyle, which is characterized by lack of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle, as well as increased body weight due to poor nutrition.
Spondylolisthesis is a common condition of the spine, which can occur at a young age although it often ends up being treated after the age of 40.
It is a condition that, if neglected, carries the risk of partial paralysis.
Spinal stenosis is a very common disease of the spine, the incidence of which has been increased in recent years, along with the improvement of life expectancy in western societies.
It is a condition which in its most severe forms, if neglected, involves several risks, ranging up to severe types of paralysis.